Trial date set for accused killer
Man charged with shooting ex-girlfriend in Lower Moreland
NORRISTOWN >> A Maryland man accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend at her Lower Moreland home will not face the death penalty if he’s convicted of first-degree murder, which is an intentional killing.
With the death penalty off the table, William Tomas Torres, 61, of Elkton, Md., faces life imprisonment if convicted of the charge in connection with the alleged Nov. 25, 2019, fatal shooting of 57-yearold Jeanne Edwards. Torres also is charged with third-degree murder, a killing committed with malice, which carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.
Torres was in a county courtroom for his formal arraignment hearing on Friday.
It’s during a formal arraignment hearing that prosecutors must file notice if they intend to seek the death penalty. Prosecutors confirmed on Friday they are not seeking the death penalty against Torres.
Under state law, first-degree murder is punishable by either life imprisonment or death by lethal injection. In order to obtain a death penalty, prosecutors must show that aggravating factors – circumstances that make a killing more heinous – outweigh any mitigating factors – circumstances that favor a defendant. Specifically, prosecutors have about 18 aggravating factors, under state law, which they can use to seek the death penalty.
Assistant District Attorney Brianna Ringwood and co-prosecutor Matthew Brittenburg are prosecuting the case. Defense lawyer Carrie Lynn Allman, the chief homicide lawyer in the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office, represents Torres.
Torres waived a formal reading of the charges lodged against him and entered not guilty pleas to all charges when he appeared before Judge Cheryl L. Austin at the arraignment hearing. In addition to the first- and third-degree murder charges, Torres faces charges of simple assault, possession of a weapon and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the alleged slaying.
“You are entering a plea of not guilty, correct?” Allman questioned Torres, to which he softly replied, “Yes.”
“Are you doing this of your own free will?” Allman continued.
“Yes,” Torres replied. Austin set a Nov. 9 trial date for Torres. The jury trial is expected to last about five days.
During questioning by Allman, Torres revealed he came to the U.S. from Puerto Rico in the mid-1980s and he said he holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Torres added he understands English about “75-percent.”
Torres, who will remain in the county jail without bail while awaiting trial, did not comment to a reporter about the allegations as he was escorted to and from the courtroom by sheriff’s deputies.
The investigation began about 5:24 p.m. Nov. 25 when Lower Moreland police responded to a residence in the 2300 block of Dale Road for a report of a shooting. Arriving officers found Edwards suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, and she was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Edwards’ son told authorities he arrived home from work and heard a “pop” as he pulled into the driveway, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective Gregory Henry and Lower Moreland Detective Holly Halota.
When he entered the house, the victim’s son saw Torres, who he knew as his mother’s ex-boyfriend, standing in the doorway holding a shotgun pointed at him, according to the arrest affidavit.
“Torres told (the victim’s son) that his mother ruined his life. Torres then fled the house and (the victim’s son) called 911,” Henry and Halota wrote in the criminal complaint.
Limerick Township police arrested Torres a short time later at a private residence in that township.
A woman who resided at the Limerick residence told detectives she knew Torres for about a month and was dating him, according to court papers. The woman said Torres arrived at her home about 6:30 p.m. and said, “I need to tell you something,” according to the arrest affidavit.
Torres allegedly proceeded to tell the Limerick woman that he purchased a shotgun that day and drove to the home of his ex-girlfriend.
“Torres said he then shot his ex-girlfriend twice and was unsure if she ‘made it,’” detectives alleged in court papers.
The Limerick woman contacted township police, who observed a shotgun inside Torres’ 2016 Mercedes Benz, which was parked in the driveway of the Limerick woman’s residence.
During an autopsy, a forensic pathologist recovered shotgun pellets from the body of Edwards.